'First, it was the Goddess of Identity's weird request by making me say that I miss Her… But right now, it's this Starlight with a weird moniker asking me to prepare a warm blanket. Seriously, what with these entities…?' Ryder let out an expressive sigh before opening his mouth to speak.
"Ah, you mean to tell me that I should rest. All right! I haven't been able to take note of the current time." He interpreted it this way, trying to avoid asking a thing or two because of his seemingly tired mind and body due to his suddenly drained Chuuni Qi.
With that said, Ryder with basic necessities for camping in the woods rested under the illumination of the starry sky, where the hovering moon expressed its serene light.
"Okay, okay. Thanks for reminding me." He chuckled before adding, "Good night, daughter who wants a daddy!"
For Ryder, at least from the game perspective, Starlights were powerful yet silly entities. It also meant that, as long as they were not offended, an Awakener could crack a joke with them.
[The Starlight, "The Daughter with No Daddy," smiles at you.]
***
The next day.
"Ugh. Un…?!" Before Ryder opened his eyes, he sensed as though his entire body was being pressed to the ground.
"H–heavy! Wh–what's-?"
It was then that his voice failed to escape his mouth as he gradually opened his eyes to see what was pressing his chest.
"Woah, woah! Wh–who!?" Ryder tried to stand up, seeing a long grey-haired woman with a lithe body dozing off on him. However, he couldn't shake the lying presence, causing him to have no choice but to wake her up.
His mind couldn't help but think,
'Is this another woman affected by my damn cursed [Title]?!'
"Ah, excuse me! W–wake up!"
"Un…? O–one more minute…" The woman, whose face was something that Ryder had yet to scrutinize, softly mumbled; drowsiness lingered in her voice.
At that moment, Ryder exerted much strength to push the woman away.
Thud!
"Get off me. Who are you?!" In the early morning, just as he woke up, his emotions were already ramped up.
'But thank the heavens, it's not a damn loli!' He thought to himself, recalling some pieces of literature he had read where the main character one day woke up with a sleeping loli on his chest.
In front of him, donning a traditional grey martial arts uniform, the mature-looking woman whose pair of assets were conspicuously accentuating through the fitted attire, regained her senses.
Observing her, Ryder also saw her grey eyes that matched the hue of her hair. What's more, her body and arms were fair and refined, like genuine signs of a true martial artist.
"Sigh, you rude one! Was that the right way to treat a woman? I told you to prepare a blanket since it's difficult to sleep without it!" The grey-haired woman, who just tied her hair to a bun, pointed her fingers at him.
"Wh–what? A blanket…? W–wait a second!" In almost an instant, the woman's words clicked in his mind, recalling last night's Chuuni System's prompt about the Starlight named "The Daughter with No Daddy."
"Y–you are a Starlight! T–The Daughter with No Daddy?!" Ryder blinked in disbelief as he kept his distance from the entity.
'But why am I still alive, though? Coming in contact with a Starlight with a low Cultivation Rank will outright kill the likes of me…' He wondered before hearing the response from the woman.
"I am Gyuri… and you are wrong, I'm not the Daughter with no Daddy."
'This conversation just sounds fucking weird…' Ryder realized.
He then said, "If you're not, then–"
Before he could query, Gyuri interjected, "At least not anymore… Daddy!"
"What…?"
At that moment, faster than his eyes could blink, Gyuri disappeared from her spot and arrived in front of him. Such a swift and refined movement was even without the utilization of Chuuni Qi.
Unable to react, Gyuri who was an inch or two shorter than Ryder's posture suddenly and tightly embraced him.
The former then whispered,
"From now on, you will be my Daddy... 'kay? Hehe."
Processing those words that were similar to countless needles piercing his soul, Ryder felt chills run down his spine.
'I–I'm fucked!! H–how can that even happen when you're older than me?!' He screamed in his mind.
"W–wait a minute… y–you simply can't decide that!" Ryder released his embrace and saw Gyuri eye to eye, who tilted her head slightly.
But then, Gyuri's next words–
"I received permission from my beloved Creator, so I actually can. Hehe. But, but! Putting that aside, do you know why I can decide for you…? Well, because I am fucking strong, and you are terribly weak!"
…caused Ryder to tremble in fear.
Gyuri's grey eyes glimmered to thickness; dull and without an ounce of empathy.
"I don't want a Daddy who's weak, so I'll make you strong. This way, you can protect your daughter." She smiled, innocently so. A contrast to her eyes filled with inexplicable bloodlust.
Unable to open his mouth to say anything, Ryder gulped as he continued to listen.
"That's more like it, Daddy…
"I like that look in your eyes. Fear, that is.
"Fear to disappoint your expectant daughter. Hehe."
Ryder was outright frozen in place, his nose was almost touching Gyuri's due to how close the latter was whispering to him.
"You haven't realized it yet, but you are clearly lacking a sense of danger. You think everything in your way's a mere joke… that you subconsciously do not or have yet to completely accept this as your new reality and still somewhat perceive this partially as a game…
"The evidence is apparent because you are attempting to eliminate a rouge from the Venerable Sky Clan with your puny skills and cultivation level, along with your reliance on equipment blessed by the sole beloved."
Gyuri's lips formed an arc, her grey eyes momentarily locked on Ryder's trembling lips before she proceeded to lift up his chin with her index finger.
"Ah… what should I do with you, Daddy?"
***
"Sorry, sorry. Hehe. Did I scare you too much? It's necessary. Do not delude yourself that this is similar to the mere game. By the way, take out the [Moonfell Crescent], one of my precious treasures."
Regaining his composure as Gyuri took her distance away from him, Ryder gulped. However, trying to assess everything that had just transpired, many things seemed to strike his mind like bolts of lightning leading to enlightenment.
'When I think about it… I'm too complacent.' He thought.
"I want you to become worthy to become Daddy, okay? Hehe." Holding the katana in his grasp, Ryder was snapped out of his reverie upon hearing the Starlight's words.
A moment later, Gyuri then retrieved something from her spatial storage.
It was a bracelet with a moon-shaped emblem.
"Here, here. A beautiful ornament from your daughter."
Catching the bracelet which information was revealed with the help of the Chuuni System, Ryder sensed what was about to happen.
In the next moment, Gyuri retrieved her own katana engraved with nothing but normalcy.
A playful grin found itself on her lips, which was followed by her soft voice,
"Daddy… Consider this as your daughter's tough love, 'kay?"
Whoosh!
Slash!
In that spur of a moment, Ryder's head rolled on the ground.